Safety device for elevators



(No Model.)

J. H. MANNING.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS. No. 320,374. Patented June 16, 1885.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. MANNING, OF HARTWELL, OHIO.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320.374, dated June 16,1885.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN H. MANNING, ofHartwell, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Elevators, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to safety devices for preventing accidents withhatchway-elevators operated by power, and has for its object theprevention of that class of accidents which are caused by persons uponone floor reaching into the hatchway and raising or lowering theelevator to the floor they are on by manipulating the tiller-rope; andit consists in anovel combination of elements whereby a person, in orderto move the tiller-rope, must be in the cab, all of which will be fullyexplained hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a section of the floor of anelevator-cab, showing my improved safety device; Fig. 2, an enlargedelevation of the device, and Fig. 3 a plan thereof.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts.

A is the floor of an elevator-cab of any desired form or construction.

B is the customary tiller rope or bar, as the case may be, which, whenpulled upward, (as is the custom,) causes the elevator to descend, andwhen pulled downward causes the elevator to ascend, in the hatchwaythrough which the cab travels. The tiller or bar B passes through thefloor A of the cab, and from bot tom to top of the hatchway.

O is an inverted standard or housing secured to the under side of floorA, having lugs G at one end and lugs O at the other end thereof. Betweenthe lugs G is pivoted the lever D, one end of which carries the slidingor adjustable weight (1 and the other end the arm or pintle 01. Betweenthe lugs O is pivoted the lever E, upon the outer extremity of the longarm 0 of which is mounted the pedal or foot-piece F. The arm d of thelever D engages with the lever E at 6, either by entering a hole formedto receive it in said lover or by any suitable connection, in such amanner, however, that motion of the lever E produces a motion of thelever D through the arm d, and, conversely, motion of the lever Dproduces motion of the lever E through the same arm d. The short arm aof the lever E is bent downward, or at right angles to the long arm 0,and is pivoted to the parallel arms g g of the binder G, Fig. 3. Thebinder G, when drawn toward the immovable abutment O of the housing 0,presses the rope or bar B against said housing and pre vents theindependent movement of the rope until the binder is forced away fromit, as shown by the dotted lines of Fig. 2. The normal position of thelovers D and E, pedal F, and binder G is shown by fulllines of Fig. 2,and in this position the tiller-rope B is firmly gripped between theimmovable abutment 0 and binder G, and prevented from moving up or downuntil the operator presses his foot on the pedal F, when the pedal andother moving parts assume the positions shown by dotted lines of Fig. 2,and the grip upon the tiller-rope B is released. The force with whichthe tiller-rope is gripped between the binder G and immovable abutment Oof the housing 0 is regulated by the weight (I and by the compoundlevers D and E, the weight d being secured to the long end of lever D,and acting through the short end of said lever and arm d upon the longarm of lever E, which latter lever in turn aetuates the binder orgripping piece G, through its short arm e whereby the effect of saidweight is multiplied several times in the pressure of the binder Gagainst the tiller-rope B.

The utility of the device is obvious. Di rectly the pressure of theoperators foot is removed from the pedal F, the weight d, and levers Dand E, and binder G take the positions shown by full lines of Fig. 2,and the tiller rope B is gripped tightly between the binder G and face 0of the housing 0, in which position no motion of the rope is pos sible,and consequently no person can move the cab of the elevator, exceptinghe first e11- ters the cab and presses his foot upon the pedal F andreleases the grip of binder G on the rope or bar B.

I have shown my device as containing a compound lever and weight, and asoperated by the foot of the person working the elevator-cab; but I donot wish to confine myself to the arrangement of parts shown, or thedescribed method of operation, because the same effect can be had byvarying the form and position of-the,device as, for instance, it-may beplaced upon the root of the cab and be worked by a hand-rod, or it maybe finished and placed within the cab and be operated by a hand-lever;again, the lever D and lugs G of housing (3 may be omitted entirely, andan arm provided at the short end of lever E, to which the weight isapplied direct, and the weight may be displaced by a spring, theessential requisite of my improvement being a device which automaticallygrips the tillerrope or bar when the'attendant leaves the cab, and whichcan be operated to release the rope only by the return to the cab and bythe pressure of the foot or hand of the person Working the elevator. I

A large number of accidents with passenger elevators grow outof-strangers attemptin g to operate the cab and leave it while it is inmotion. With my improved safety device the tiller-rope cannot be movedup or down, excepting the operator first presses down the pedal F, andwhen he leaves the cab the pedal rises and the binder G automaticallygrips the tiller-rope and stops the cab.

Having described my invention, what 1 claim is- I 1. A safety device toprevent manipulation of the tiller-rope of an elevator by other than theperson in the cab, consisting, essentially, ot'inechanism, substantiallysuch as described, which, by the force of a Weight or spring,automatically grips the tiller-rope upon the removal of the pressure ofp the hand or foot of the operator, and, conversely, releases the gripupon .the tiller-j rope when-such hand or foot pressureisreapplied,substantially as described.

2. A safety device to prevent manipulation of the tiller-rope of anelevator by other than the person in the cab, consisting of a movablegripping piece or binder operated by the force of a "weight or springacting through a lever which automatically presses the tiller-ropeagainst an immovable abutment upon the exit of the operator from thecab, substantially as described.

3. In a safety device to prevent manipulation of the tiller-rope of anelevator by other than the person in the cab, the combination, with thehousing 0 and binder G, of the levers E and D, and the weight d,w herebysaid binder is caused to grip the tiller-rope B by theforcc of saidweight, substantially as described. I

4. In a safety device to prevent manipulation of the tiller-rope of anelevator by other than the person in the .cab, the combination, with thehousing 0 and binder G, of the lever "E and. pedal F, whereby saidbinder is caused to release'its grip upon the tillerrope B by thepressure of the operators foot upon said pedal, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereot'Ihavesignedmy name to the foregoing specificationin the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

p JOHNv H. MANNING.

1 Witnesses:

- CHAS. ANDERSON,

SAML. S. CARPENTER.

